Designer Vinyl Toys: America

This post is the second to my previous post, and may not make sense out of context.

As with all evolutions of creativity, the form and concepts are distinct to their creator. Brightly colored conceptual monsters can trigger other forms of inspiration, and the cultural differences from Japan to America have allowed for fluid interpretations. Well known toy makers and distributors in America include Kid Robot, Super7, Double Punch in San Fransisco, and Rotofugi in Chicago.

With Bwana Spoons at Double Punch

I was really lucky during my first trip to San Fransisco, Bwana Spoons was painting a mural on the wall. He signed a photo book I bought of his Edward the Gator vinyl toy. He was kind and not at all upset by my interruption. Bwana Spoons a really good example of a vinyl toy artist in America. The whole subculture of vinyl toys is still very much immersed in Japan. Everyone knows about Kaiju. Bwana Spoons is a painter and designer and has made really good connections and choices. When I lived in Japan I was excited to see that Bwana Spoons was a staple at Gargamel, often designing toys with Gargamel's designers. I am so happy a bit of the mural is shown in the background, because that image is exactly his style. He uses bright, fun colors, and has a distinct California feel.

There are noticeable differences between Japanese and American vinyl toy aesthetic. Japanese toys tend to draw from their roots of 60s and 70s Kaiju characters. American toys are more rounded, probably inspired by graffiti and underground urban culture. People in America who design toys also design shoes and have painting exhibitions and create graphic novels. Japanese toys are considerably more grotesque and alien. American toys, inexplicably, are cuter, maybe more marketable...? I like both styles. I find it difficult to describe, but I hope I am not far off base in my generalization.

Kaws's Bounty Hunter: Rotofugi, USA

Hedora: Secret Base, Japan

Designer Vinyl Toys:Japan: A Rough Introduction

Kaiju, 怪獣、means "monster" in Japanese. Monster characters are very popular in Japanese culture, and while Godzilla and King Kong are the most well known in America, there are other, more creative versions that are well known in Japan. 

Gamera: Turtle Monster

Gigan: Godzilla Opponent

My favorite aspect of Kaiju is the subculture of designing vinyl toys after well known monsters, showcasing an evolution from action figures to underground pop art. The following two photos are from a store called Gargamel based out of Koenji, Tokyo, Japan.

Designer vinyl toys are usually created by a toy company that specializes in this sort of thing, as well as established artists who are commissioned by the toy company to design a toy. The toy company is not a big corporation like Matel or Hasbro, rather specifically niche centered and small. Secretbase, for example, is a store based out of Harajuku, Tokyo, Japan. Secretbase first created a design for a figure, then did interesting coloring on the figure, then had the capabilities to expand to new figures, collaborate with other toy stores and designers, and ultimately pair up with cool artists, which allowed for international expansion and recognition.

An Astro Brain toy from Secret Base

Can you see the evolution? Monster movies like Godzilla and Gamera inspired a lot artists and companies as a merchandise opportunity, just like Star Wars and X-Men more recently. First an action figure is created in the monsters likeness, then more creative people who do not necessarily work for big toy companies create their own designs. Some of the most interesting toys are just simple figures that have been painted with unexpected colors, like lime green and fluorescent pink. Other examples could be popping the heads off of a Snoopy toy and putting Godzilla's head on top. These sorts of creations evolve into people creating their own monsters, completely independent of a film or book or other sort of inspiration.


Next post will be about America's take on Japan's Kaiju toys.